Mendlein Joins aTyr as Chairman

aTyr Pharma, the San Diego-based developer of a new class of protein drugs, said yesterday that John Mendlein has joined the company as executive chairman of the board. Mendlein is currently the chairman of Fate Therapeutics and Alevium Pharmaceuticals. He was previously the CEO of Adnexus Therapeutics before that company was sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb for more than $400 million. aTyr Pharma was co-founded by Paul Schimmel, the prolific biotech entrepreneur, and a scientist at The Scripps Research Institute.